George
Bernard Shaw said that 'Real travellers and
children feel at home wherever they are in the
world.' However, if you are ever lucky enough
to travel by the Blue Train you will feel not
merely at home, but in a dream world.
We awoke early with a thrill of expectancy on
the morning that our magical journey was to
begin. When we arrived at the station we were
still not aware of what kind of adventure awaited
us. As the car drew up, uniformed attendants
astonished us by greeting us by name and conducting
us to an elegantly furnished waiting room glittering
with silver and crystal. This was the special
lounge for passengers of the Blue Train. After
introductions, we were served with drinks and
chocolate, and then almost carried to the train.
Sipping champagne in our compartment we read
up on the history of the Blue Train.

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BLUE TRAIN TO THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA

2002 / FEBRUARY

Prior to 1910 there were two luxury trains in
South Africa; one the Corridor Express belonging
to Natal Railways, and the Limited Express operated
by Cape Railways. Then Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe)
launched the Tren de Lux, alias the Zambezi
Express, which ran between Cape Town and Bulawayo.
In 1903 Central South African Railways launched
its own version of the Tren de Lux, the service
that today is known as the Blue Train. In 1923
South African Railways replaced this service
by a faster train, and in 1933 named the dining
car after the famous flower, the protea, and
painted it blue. Subsequently another blue carriage
was added, and the name Blue Train was coined.

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BLUE TRAIN TO THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA

2002 / FEBRUARY

Today the Blue Train runs between Pretoria and
Cape Town primarily, but also from Pretoria to
Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and the Valley of the
Olifants in Botswana, and via the Garden Route.
The service offers superb comfort and luxury,
and its high standards have been recognised by
numerous awards. The Blue Train is the African
equivalent of the Orient Express. There is an
attendant for each compartment, which boast under-floor
heating, luxurious decoration, and fresh flowers
placed in a silver vase on the table every day.
Even the soap and bubble bath are exclusive, and
if you wish you can sip champagne from a crystal
glass as you bathe in the marble bathtub! The
compartment is cleaned and made ready for the
night by invisible fairies when you leave to go
to the dining car in the evening.

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BLUE TRAIN TO THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA

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If you travel from Pretoria to Cape Town your
first stop is the city of Kimberley, celebrated
for its diamond mines. The train then passes
across the Karoo, a semi-desert plateau, and
through the world's fourth-longest tunnel into
the Hex river valley, with its summer roses
and emerald green vineyards. After passing Paarl,
where South Africa's finest wines are produced,
Table Mountain comes into sight and you arrive
in Cape Town. Pretoria and Cape Town are South
Africa's most beautiful cities, the former adorned
with jacaranda trees introduced from South America.
Cape Town, which is known as the Mother City
by the South Africans is justly described as
one of the loveliest cities in the world by
those fortunate enough to live there.

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BLUE TRAIN TO THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA

2002 / FEBRUARY

Bartholomew Diaz was the first European to come
here in 1488, and in 1497 Vasco de Gama rounded
the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean. He
was followed by Sir Francis Drake in the late
16th century, and the Dutch began to found colonies
here in the 1600s.
Passing through Fairest Cape National Park you
arrive at the Cape of Good Hope, where gigantic
waves batter the rocks and tourists eagerly take
photographs of this renowned spot. The coast near
Table Mountain is famous for its beaches, wind
surfing, grandiose mansions, and colonies of seals
and African penguins living on offshore islets.
There are tours by motor boat to see these, the
outward journey taking half an hour. And of course
you should not miss the sights of the city itself.

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BLUE TRAIN TO THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA

2002 / FEBRUARY

So
we came to the end of our train journey, and
were bid farewell in as memorable a fashion
as the welcome in Pretoria. It was time to catch
our homeward flight from Cape Town airport,
and we dreamed of new adventures as we headed
for the equator through the clouds.